


Cashmere, Spandex, and Felt

by kibasniper



Series: Honorary Tales [23]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Clothing, Gen, Gift Giving, Holidays, Nonbinary Character, Other, Presents, Secret Santa, Trans Female Character, Trans Masculine Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21812368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper
Summary: Jericho receives two very special gifts from the most important people in his life.
Relationships: Herald/Jericho, Jericho & Kole Weathers
Series: Honorary Tales [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/929424
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	Cashmere, Spandex, and Felt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aka_noodle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aka_noodle/gifts).



> Written for the honorarytitanssecretgiftexchange2019!!

Despite his mother's militaristic background, she was a fashionista. She had a keen eye for clothing. Jericho remembered her saying that if she hadn't joined the military, she would have opened up her own shop in Manhattan with the latest designs and trends. Textures and materials needed to live up to her almost impossibly high standards or she wouldn't be caught dead with her children wearing them. If they weren't brand name, they weren't worth wearing, something she had said when she helped him design his costume before he set off from her home in search of helping people who needed him.

He was glad his mother was like that. Her array of old clothing provided him the perfect gift. When he called her, she was more than happy to ship it to him within the span of a day. Even though it could have been considered a hand-me-down in the narrowed eyes of others, his dear friend's delight overpowered that anxiety crawling down his spine.

It suited Kole far better than it did him. The bubblegum pink hue matched her hair. She preferred softness, the cashmere perfect as she brushed her fingers along the scarf, Jericho watching her reaction with great interest.

“It's beautiful,” Kole whispered, the corners of her lips pressing into her cheeks. “Oh, this is so stunning. Thank you so much.” She looped the scarf around her neck, marveling over the warmth caressing her. A wry smirk replaced her grin. “It's almost too perfect. What's it really made of, Jericho?”

He winced. For a split second, he thought she was being serious. He almost signed that he didn't do anything, but noticing how her sneer melted back into a smile, he returned it with one of his own. He felt a small pit of embarrassment pool in his stomach for missing that social cue, prompting him to sign, _It's infused with the power of friendship and the Christmas spirit._

Kole giggled. She beamed at her close friend, knowing the scarf was personal. His thoughtful nature was always front and center when it came gift giving. She had asked for new clothes, some that suited her style, and the scarf he gave her made her heart swell with delight.

Glancing back at her reflection in his bathroom mirror, she couldn't stop smiling. Her cheeks ached, but that couldn't deter her from grinning. She felt like a model under the spotlight as she spun around, feeling so validated as a pretty girl.

“Okay, my turn!” she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and hurrying into the living room of his apartment. She snatched her present off the marble counter, almost knocking over his collection of sheet music. Beaming, she thrust her hands out with the gift, saying, “Here you go. I hope you like it.”

 _I'm sure I will,_ he signed and accepted the gift. He crossed over to his couch, an ocean blue one which slumped against his wall and squeaked as soon as he sat down. He felt the couch shift as Kole plopped down next to him, still running her fingers along her scarf. He listened to her tap her heels against the white, shag carpet, her eagerness pelting out an uneven rhythm. 

He inspected the snow white box. It was wrapped in a scarlet ribbon and decorated with deep violet bows. Carefully undoing the ribbon, he offered it to Kole. She grinned and tied it around her wrist. She smiled as the fluorescent lights reflected a glossy sheen off the ribbon, one she would be certain to use when in need of a scrunchie.

Jericho flipped off the top of the box. As it bounced off his boots, he rummaged through the tissue paper. He clawed through clumps of it, the rosy red and lavender hues gentle on his eyes. When his fingers hit something smooth, he leaned back. He cupped whatever it was, slowly bringing it up to inspect it with his lips parting, his small gape alerting Kole to his surprise.

“Do you like it?” she asked, gripping a round, olive couch cushion next to her.

His head bobbed up and down in a curt, jerking motion. It was a sudden reflex sprung on by her question. He held the binder in both hands, marveling over the stretchy material. The light gray color reminded him of smoke which would waft up from a piping hot cup of coffee Herald liked to drink in the morning. It was accented on the side with teal stripes, the brand name clipped in a small patch of fabric on the bottom.

“I made sure it was mostly spandex over nylon. I know how much you hate that kind of texture,” Kole explained as he pressed the binder to his chest, his current binder now feeling too worn in the presence of the superior one.

His grin split into his cheeks, the corners of his eyes crinkling. _Thank you, Kole. It's just perfect for me._

“I think your partner is gonna get you something just as good,” she said, her eyes lighting up with merriment and mischief.

He rolled his eyes, and she cackled like an amused witch. The box fell off his lap as he stood up, and Kole watched him enter his bathroom, the binder tucked underneath his arm. Delight coursed through her, and she punched her fist in the air. Their gift swap had gone off spectacularly, her scarf caressing her jaw as she tucked her head down, immersing herself in warmth, leaving her to bask in its glow.

Jericho emerged from the bathroom, his new binder on underneath his regular tunic. He tugged at his tunic, appearing sturdier, his build squarer as Kole glanced at him up and down. Jericho locked eyes with her and flashed a thumbs up.

“I'm so glad it fits!” She swung her legs as she jumped off the couch. Rocking on her heels, she skipped towards him and threw her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could.

Jericho grinned and wreathed his arms around her back. He lifted her off the ground, spun her around once, and set her back down as she giggled. He adjusted his tunic, smoothing down the wrinkles and watching Kole run her fingers through the scarf once more, her smile all the thanks he needed.

Before Kole could say anything else, a trumpet bellowed. It echoed in the small apartment, jostling the lamps and tables. They turned to find a portal ripping through the fabric of their reality. To anyone else, it would have appeared frightening gazing into those red, black, and white spiderwebs of another reality, the purple smog wafting behind the figure as they stepped through, but to them, it was the arrival of a fellow Titan and another reason to keep smiling.

Herald lowered their trumpet to their side and held up two boxes in their free hand, asking, “Hey, Jericho, Kole, did I miss the gift giving session?”

“Well, you missed ours! We started without you since you were taking so long,” Kole said, throwing her finger out.

Herald grimaced. “Aw, my bad. I had to take care of some bogies on my end.”

Kole giggled, her annoyance suppressed with glee. “Don't worry about it. I'm just teasing.” She touched her scarf. “Jericho got me this, and well-” She cocked her head at Jericho, who hadn't stopped smiling at Herald. “-your boyfriend here is wearing a fancy new binder I got him, so that's where my gift is.”

They brightened, their grin stretching as Jericho patted his chest. “Oh, sweet! Those sound like awesome gifts. Mine-” They flicked their hand, tossing the packages to Kole and Jericho. “-are outta this world.”

Kole rolled her eyes, and Jericho mimed laughter. Herald wasn't renowned for their puns, but they appreciated them nonetheless. Accepting the gift with open arms, Jericho cocked his head at the odd, colorless wrapping. It was some kind of otherworldly linen. Hearing Kole tear through it, he carefully tugged it off and set it on the counter so he could keep it and have his mother examine it.

Reaching inside, his lips parted. He slowly pulled out a handful of guitar picks, each of them covered in fine felt. They were colored in every shade of the rainbow. He marveled over them, the texture unusual compared to the wooden and plastic ones he used while in the mountains.

“Oh!” Kole gasped. She dropped her box, her present clutched tightly between her fingers. “A ukulele!” She strummed it, the twanging making Jericho grimace, but he still managed to keep his mouth quirked upwards.

Herald laughed and stepped between them. They wrapped their arms around their shoulders, Jericho grinning up at them. “You said you wanted to get into music,” they said, glancing at Kole before shifting their gaze to their boyfriend, “and I've been noticing your fingers are getting a little more calloused. I figured some felt guitar picks would be easy on your hands.”

 _How thoughtful,_ he signed, leaning up on his toes to press a quick kiss into Herald's cheek. He tilted his head, the faint scarlet blooming on Herald's cheeks like kisses from the sun. _Thanks, Herald. I love them, and I love you._

Herald smiled so hard their face hurt. Seeing him sign those treasured words always made their heart skip a beat. As Kole continued dragging her thumb along the strings, they kissed the crown of Jericho's forehead. “Love you, too, Jericho.”

“Hey! I think I can do the Teen Titans theme song on this!” Kole blurted, hurriedly plucking at the strings like a rock star and bobbed her head back and forth. “I will obey the traffic rules! Teen Titans!”

As her off-key sounds pierced through his apartment and made Herald cover their ears, Jericho silently laughed and basked in the presence of his loved ones.


End file.
